UK Lakester build G/GL

[bearingburner]

On our lakester we made all panels are made to be removed and replaced by one person. The top panel is separate from the sides for easy access. The panels overlap
and are held with Dzus fittings.The belly pan comes up the side about 4 inches and the sides are attached to the frame through the belly pan. Panels are stepped for smooth installation. The side panels ate flat as the car is a rear engined drragster type.

[Lemming Motors]

Thanks Twisted John. You are only saying that because I sent you a teeshirt as a fellow G/GL 😂

BB: your description is very much what I am hoping to achieve. I made the sections as large single panels and am then cutting them into useful sizes. Ultimately there will be dzeus (or camloc) fasteners through the panel picking up the overlap lip of the adjoining panel. I am using rivnuts and set screws only during the mockup phase.

My approach is not as straight forward as I hoped and there may be some rework in my future.

Eventually there will be a short panel with lips both sides bonded to the firewall; forward of that the hinging canopy, two side panels and the belly pan, plus nose cone.

Rear of the firewall remains a bit of a mystery, even to me; my thoughts on the tail fin etc. are evolving.

[Lemming Motors]

I am working on the canopy hinge.

The first version was a fail but this is looking very promising. Eventually the cross pieces (attached to the f'glass by bolt plates and epoxy at the moment) will have longitudinal legs welded to them to spread the load with another couple of bolt plates.

The plates are stainless steel with holes in them and a 6mm stud welded on. The epoxy came from the fibreglass supplies company specifically for the job.

The bolt plates will all be fibre glassed in place once this is complete.

I am noodling on gas struts; I want them to have an over centre orientation so they are pushing slightly down on the canopy in the closed, then through the arc to then pushing it open. Having said that I don't want them pushing the canopy front edge 'out' so some form of locating pin each side in the closed position is called for.

Once this is solid I can finish the rest of the canopy as its orientation will be fixed, then I can spec the windscreen and finish the rest of the body forward of the firewall.

Finally (8 mths) got my splined rear hubs back (burry covid) so I can at least get the rear axle finished and only the shock levers at the front and the beasty can be on its feet for the first time. Don't hold your breath for that picture though.

[ronnieroadster]

Hi John the way i hold my windshield /canopy in place on our race car was easy to accomplish using Missile latches. To use this type of latch I added a simple tab to the inside surface of the push in disk for an easy inside release. I located each one along the bottom rear area of the canopy surface the latch tab clamps down perfectly onto a flat surface.
 
   To see the type i used you can search Ebay to see what they look like using the title. 

2 Large NASCAR Window / Aircraft Access Door / Missile Quick Release Latches A9

    Ronnieroadster

[PorkPie]

John,

I fear you done this great job for nothing....

hinges like that are tricky....I'm sure that the body panel in front of the canopy is underlapping the canopy panel...there will be no open gap between...

I used your photos and used photoshop to show you an issue and the solution....be aware...with this iso view the photos didn't show the real situation...
you only can see this move in the sideview correctly....you can test it simple with the cardboard on paper....

you have to check the position of the arm on the top level of the frame tube....

[PorkPie]

here the complete movement

[PorkPie]

and here the possible solution when you get in trouble.....

[ronnieroadster]

John heres pictures on how we did the canopy/windshield hinge assembly on our race car and a close up of the latch I posted above.
The top half of the our race car body is one piece obviously a bit different than your design. But over all you can see another idea and how the surfaces are level to each other for a better air flow and less air leaking into the driver compartment. So far this back yard Hot Rodding design has  worked well top speed so far 229.
 Ronnieroadster

[Lemming Motors]

RR
Funny you should mention the missile / NASCAR latches - I ordered one from the US about a month ago but it went missing somewhere over the Atlantic. Luckily eBay Global Shipping did a no quibble refund including purchase price, shipping / handling / duties.

PP
What you accurately describe is version 1b. Thankyou for the consideration too - that is why I do the build thread - someone will catch my mistakes. You are 100% correct but in the iso view, as you note, it is hard to see the relationship with the fixed panel / nose cone.

I originally modelled the hinge on paper but failed to consider the leading edge of the canopy / bonnet; in the up position it was hard against the panel that it hinges up and over.

I made a revised steel one and tweaked it repeatedly before coming to the conclusion that the secret here is to have the pivot point high (just under the fixed panel / nose cone) and forward of the panel gap - in my case 1.5 inches. That of course requires a longer down arm (the vertical one in the closed position, near horizontal in the open). That all results in a back and up motion through a moderate arc.

I have added some pics to demonstrate the result. Apologies for the quality.

The eagle eyed (all of you) will notice an added tab in the last  photo (fully open), spot welded in place.
Experience on the Lotus says that gas struts should not be attached to the fibreglass panel, even with panel reinforcing. The vibration etc. and the strut load work the panel. I am attaching them (mock-up in progress) to the actual hinge so the load is against the oilite bushed pivot and, if I have calculated it properly, will be slightly over centre in the closed position meaning strut load is trying to close the canopy leading edge, not lift it.

[Stainless1]

LJ, the Bockscar previously had the hinges attached together by a strip of aluminum... and the canopy attached by multiple screws across the front... well that worked but it kinda sucked.  A little wind would cause the screw areas to flex and crack when the canopy was open.  So this time around I decided the canopy needed a little more meat.  So the original hinge got legs, then gussets and rolled metal to make it all fit a little better. 
The latches are a HD version of the ones we use for the fire doors.  The trip cables allowed me to put the latches farther back for a better fit and lock. 

[Lemming Motors]

That looks really nice SS. I am adding legs to the hinge but they will not look as nicely integrated as your set up.

I originally made the hinges to be mounted outboard and just as I was about to tack the bracket to the frame the penny dropped and rolled away, it is very curved through that area and I would have been lucky to open it an inch before the top bit caught the forward panel. Hence them being inboard and a bit further forward than ideal to get out of the way.

[Lemming Motors]

More fun (!) with fibreglass.

A nice man from this forum has been corresponding with me and in doing that has helped me make decisions where I have been at a fork in the road (or going down a rabbit hole). 

If there are two ways to do something it is helpful if someone gives another perspective and that can result in an aha moment.
 
More work to do but forward of the firewall the side / undertray and forward part of the canopy are all attached; the lower side corners are temporary through bolts but that gives me positive location for the undertray relative to the side panels - next will be proper attachments for those.

It is too late for this lakester but I now see that I will be giving a lot of air a ride down the track.

The rear will be a lot of work (it went far quicker in my head) but the lessons learned on the front should make that more straightforward. Just as well I cant get to SW this year ..... is there a class for a naked lakester?   

[Stainless1]

John no worries, lakesters don't require bodies... unless you want to go fast 

As Jonny Carson always said when you come to a fork in the road... take it

[Seldom Seen Slim]

It wasn't Johnny Carson.  I'm pretty sure that Charles DeGaulle penned that phrase.

[Lemming Motors]

At this stage I will take 'go' and worry about fast later.